In the past, sliding members each having a sliding layer formed on a metallic base have been often used. For example, in the sliding member used for a motor vehicle or construction machinery, a steel plate having a strong mechanical strength has supported heavy load and a sliding layer has smoothly slid an object to be slid wherein the sliding layer is made of a copper-based alloy having a low mechanical strength but a lubricating property. For such a sliding member, a thermal spraying method has been proposed as a method of forming the sliding layer on a surface of a supporting layer when using a steal plate as the supporting layer. The thermal spraying method is that metal which is different from the metallic base and has a desired property is melted by combustion gas, plasm, arc or the like, and the melted metal is sprayed with compressed air from a nozzle and is applied to a surface of the metallic base for proving adhesion.
According to this thermal spraying method, because a metal is attached to the supporting layer by the thermal spraying, even if the supporting layer is a flat surface or any optional non-flat surface, such as a spherical surface, it is possible to form the sliding layer having a sliding surface along a shape of the supporting layer's surface (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3425496